A Demon Named Miori
by Nobody's Song
Summary: 6th chapter revised! If you lost your best friend you'd be bitter too. But what if she came back, only she was completely changed, and wanted nothing to do with you? Would you still be friends, or would you lose the one thing you thought you'd always have
1. To Drive Apart Brothers

Disclaimer: I have none ownership whatsoever of the amazing anime/manga that is Inuyasha.

Chapter One: To Drive Brothers Apart

It had been a terrible day for our heroes. They had randomly run into Sesshomaru, who was in a rather foul mood. So he took it out on poor Inuyasha. As of this exact moment 'poor Inuyasha' was sitting under a tree unconscious, badly beaten, and bleeding in many different places. Kagome and Shippo were patiently working on bandaging the badly abused hanyou.

"Myoga?" Sango questioned the flea who was currently sitting upon her shoulder, "Why do Sesshomaru and Inuyasha hate each other so much? I mean, they're brothers."

"Well it's a long story. But it all starts with a demon named Miori. She was Sesshomaru's favorite slave."

"A slave! I always knew he was a jerk!" Kagome pulled too tight on the bandage she was tying, causing Inuyasha to cry out in pain, "Oops. Sorry."

"He can't hear you." Myoga pointed out, "But continuing. Miori was half dog demon, like Lord Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, and half fox demon. Because she was not pure fox demon, her own grandfather sold her into slavery as a very young child. Miori believes he murdered her mother, but this had never been proven."

"Miori was a remarkably strong demon, both in strength and willpower. Along with this, she is a healer, making her invaluable as a slave. Because of her will, she ran away from any owner she was given to, and was often beaten as punishment. When she refused to bend to her master's will, she was resold. She knew over 50 different masters, all unusually cruel, within the ten years she was in slavery."

"Sesshomaru was a young child and Jaken was walking through the slave market running errands. He saw Miori on the auction, and seeing her dog demon blood, bought her on impulse. He brought her home, and presented her to Sesshomaru. She was a sort of companion to him as a child, and the two actually became very close rather quickly."

"As they grew up it remained the same way. They were the best of friends. Miori had a remarkable amount of influence over Sesshomaru. In fact, when Inuyasha's mother died, it was Miori who convinced Sesshomaru to take care of him. Miori raised Inuyasha as her own flesh and blood, and he looked upon her as an older sister. She was a bridge between the two brother's, as they fought constantly and didn't understand each other. Sesshomaru trusted her with everything. It was believed the two were in love with each other, but because of the fact she was a slave it was something they hid from everyone, including each other."

"It was roughly 75 years ago that the event that triggered the brother's feud happened. Sesshomaru was away, and Miori had been left alone with Inuyasha and the other slaves and soldiers at their home, when they had a visitor. Miori went to greet him, and it turned out to be her grandfather. He was infuriated when he saw she was alive, as he expected her to be killed long ago. He attacked her before she could do anything to retaliate, and she was badly injured. The commotion was noticed quickly, and her grandfather was thrown out. Sesshomaru returned to find Miori in a similar condition to Lord Inuyasha's at this moment. He blamed Inuyasha for not acting fast enough. Inuyasha blamed Sesshomaru for not being there. The two brothers fought bitterly over the matter."

"Miori recovered quickly enough, but the void between the brothers had deepened, and their vicious fighting persisted. Miori told me one day it broke her heart to see them fighting like that, especially as she felt it was her fault. It was several days after that when she simply disappeared. You see, Sesshomaru gave her an unusually large amount of freedom. She loved hot springs, and would visit them whenever possible. She had never been in one until she came to live with Sesshomaru, her former master's telling her she was unclean because of her mixed blood, and they didn't want her dirtying their water. She went out one night, apparently to visit the springs and never came back. The brother's blamed each other for this too, and their fighting continued to grow until it was the feud it is today."

At the end of the story the group just sat, staring at Myoga in disbelief.

"I can't believe that's true. They actually used to get along."

"Believe it all. It's true." Inuyasha's raspy voice broke through, "We looked everywhere for her, but we never found her. That's why Sesshomaru travels around so much today. He's still looking for her. He says he's not, but it's all a lie. He stops at every hot spring he finds, looking for some sign of her, but he's never had any luck."

_A Month Later_

It was a month later and the group had come upon a large valley. They had everything set up for the night.

"Hey." Inuyasha looked at the two girls, "I can hear water. It sounds as though there's a hot spring nearby. I know how much you two like to bathe." He snorted in slight distaste at this, but pointed in the direction of the spring nonetheless.

The girls gathered their things and traveled to the spring. However once they arrived, they found someone already occupying the springs. It was a demon with the same ppointed elfin ears as Sesshomaru, and silvery white hair that was currently pulled up messily to keep it from getting wet. It had moon pale skin and was humming beautifully to itself. It must have heard them because it turned around and it became obvious it was a female with the deepest blue eyes either of them had ever seen.

"Oh I'm sorry. I was just enjoying the waters. I'll leave you to your business now." The demon slid over to the edge and grabbed a silver robe edged in the same blue as her eyes, and pulled it on. It came halfway down her thighs, and was tied around the waist with a blue sash. As she tied her sash, Kagome and Sango saw her hands were clawed in a manner similar to Inuyasha's. She nodded to them once more, and slid away into the forest.

"Who was that?"

Review! If I don't get any reviews I'll just discontinue this, because I don't have the time/patience to write something no one will read. I'm sorry this was not well written. I decided to change the entire storyline after I wrote the whole first chapter. I also know this is not how the actual anime works, but I changed it for this story.


	2. An Eventful Reunion

I FINALLY BEAT MINESWEEPER! Granted it was only the beginner level. And I only beat it once. ; Oh well, on with the story!

Anything italicized is a thought.

Disclaimer: I have none ownership of Inuyasha or the original characters and storyline.

Chapter Two: An Eventful Reunion

Inuyasha was waiting with Shippo for Kagome and Sango to return from the hot springs. Miroku was currently gathering firewood, but when Inuyasha heard screaming and a slapping sounds he hazarded a guess that Miroku had been watching the girls bathe and been caught. It was not long afterwards that the two girls returned with Miroku following after, a red handprint gracing each cheek.

"It was completely worth it." Miroku informed them all as he plopped a load of firewood down on the ground, following it a moment later as Sango chucked her giant boomerang at him. Both girls sat down hmphing at their badly abused companion. Inuyasha watched Kagome from the corner of his eye, enjoying the graceful way she moved and the way her hair tumbled to her shoulders.

_She's so cute when she's all wet. _He was thinking when his thoughts were interrupted by Sango and Kagome's conversation.

"Kagome, what do you think was up with that demon at the hot springs?"

"I don't know. She didn't seem like she wanted to hurt us. She had her power masked, but I get the feeling she's really strong. She left to fast to really tell." Sango nodded in agreement.

"WHAT DEMON AT THE HOT SPRINGS! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN ATTACKED AND WE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE YOUR SORRY ASSES! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!" Inuyahsa jumped up screaming and waving his hands around to emphasize his point. The truth was the possibility of Kagome being hurt had made his heart stop for a long painful moment. He didn't know what he'd do with himself if she ever died. _ Not that she's ever noticed how you feel, _the little voice in his head told him bitterly, _Might as well give it up. _

"It's not like we planned for her to be there! She just was! And she didn't do anything so I don't know what the deal is!" Kagome jumped up just as mad. _Conceited bastard! Like he even really cares!_

"Kagome, Inuyasha calm down. Ladies, why don't you tell us about this demon?" Miroku tried desperately to restore peace to the group.

"I don't know. She disappeared so fast. Long hair, sort of like Inuyasha's." Sango started.

"No it was more of a silver color." Kagome corrected.

"Actually it was more between silver and white."

"Yeah that sounds right. Really dark blue eyes too." Kagome glanced at Sango who nodded at her in agreement. Inuyahsa shot up straight at the girls description. _It couldn't be! _

"What about her voice? Did you hear her talk?" He demanded, barely managing to croak out the question around the lump in his throat. Both girls thought for a moment.

"Yeah. Her voice was, it was like listening to someone singing. I didn't notice it before. Hey where are you going?" But Sango's shout was unheard as Inuyasha had jumped up and run away before she had even finished speaking.

_Dammit! They were gone for an hour maybe. If it really is her…She was always such a fast runner. I might not be able to find her! I've got to try though. He needs her so much more than he thinks. _ Inuyasha arrived at the hot springs and sniffed around. _ I don't smell-Wait! There it is! I'd know that smell anywhere! _

It was a distinct odor, a curious blend of blossoming wild roses, blended with that after rain smell. It was headed west of the springs. He followed it, not paying attention to where he was going. It wasn't until he stumbled upon a clearing that contained a small house that he realized he had stumbled into Sesshomaru's territory. The house was one his brother stayed in when he traveled his territory.

_I must've been gone for two or three hours now. The others are probably worried, and I'll never be able to catch up to her at this rate. _ He was so lost in his musings he didn't notice his brother until he was sent flying across the clearing into a tree.

"Inuyasha. What are you doing here? You're not welcome here!"

"Fluffy stop! Beat me if you want, but take a good whiff first, and tell me you don't smell that."

"Stop playing games. And don't call me Fluffy!"

"You always let Miori call you that!"

His brother stopped in shocked silence for a moment. Miori had not been discussed for seventy five years, although she had rarely left his thoughts. No matter what he did, she hid somewhere in the back of his mind. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, Sesshomaru was not stunned long.

"DON'T TALK ABOUT HER!"

"Why? Am I to be forgotten from history, and banished from memory since I left you?" a cool sing song voice asked. Both brothers instantly recognized that voice.

"M…M…Miori?" Sesshomaru barely managed to stutter out her name. It was a shock to his senses to have her return so suddenly and out of the blue. She had changed since he last saw her. Her eyes still retained that amusement that he had loved so much. Rarely had Miori been seen without her trademark mischief filled smile. Her face had matured slightly making her even more beautiful than she had been. It wasn't just her face that had changed either. Miori had matured in all the right places. Not that he was looking. Miori was his best friend after all. He wasn't interested in her like **that! **All this passed through his head in a millisecond, and Inuyasha took that same amount of time to scream, "I knew it!" and glomp Miori, causing her to fall neatly on her ass.

"I'm happy to see you too, but wow. I wasn't quite expecting that." Miori remarked from her position from the ground, "Would you like to let me breathe now?" Miori had gotten the wind knocked out of her when she landed, and Inuyasha currently had a death grip on her ribs, most likely already having cracked a few, all the while telling her with a child's enthusiasm how much he had missed her, and asking where she had been. When Inuyasha either didn't hear her request to let go, or simply ignored it, she attempted to pry him off, but gave up after her efforts proved futile.

"Fluffy? A little help with the runt here please?" Sesshomaru walked over and grabbed his half brother by the scruff of his collar.

"Return to your friends."

"B…But-"

"Actually Inuyasha I think that would be best for now. Fluffy and I have some stuff we need to talk about. I'll find you tomorrow." She sent one of her radiant reassuring smiles at his worthless half brother, and without further protest he broke free from Sesshomaru and left.

"It's been awhile." She grinned at him from her position on the ground. She tapped the ground next to her indicating that he should sit. He did so, and she leaned against him, her back on his chest. They always talked like this, "You never sent anyone after me."

"I freed you a long time ago. You know I had no legal claim on you." Unknown to anyone but themselves Sesshomaru had freed Miori from slavery when they were very young. She had been maybe five when Jaken had bought her, despite Inuyasha's notion she had been in slavery over ten years, Kami knows where he came up with that idea. Sesshomaru was two years older, and he had been what nine or ten when he freed her. It was a very long time ago nonetheless. Miori had simply stayed with him out of their friendship.

"I always wondered why you did that." She looked down at the ground, crossing her arms across her stomach, and stretching out her long legs, crossing those as well. Sesshomaru's eyes traveled across her slender well formed legs, up to her mid thigh before answering, and he leaned back onto his hands.

"You were my best friend. It was strange knowing I controlled your entire life."

She shrugged, "That's beside the point. You could have sent out people saying I was of great emotional significance to you. Or you could have just sent people to find me, oh almighty Lord of the Western Lands." Her voice was mocking but not condescending. She had teased him as a child about his position as well. He decided the only suitable way to retaliate was to tickle her.

"Stop…that! Cheater! This is…isn't fair!" her tiny hands beat helplessly on his well muscled chest, and he rolled her onto the ground on her back. She grabbed his arms, in an attempt to stop his "malicious torturous abuse" as she was at this moment calling it, but all she succeeded in doing was forcing him to roll with her. He ended up straddling her hips causing both of them to turn a bright shade of red.

"Well if this isn't a little awkward…" Miori muttered trying to wriggle out from under her friend, "Fluffy get off!" she yelled in exasperation as she hit him hard on the shoulder. _By Kami, he weighs a ton! He's changed so much though. _ Miori admired the sculpted muscles her friend had achieved since she had been away.

"Bitch." Sesshomaru growled as he rubbed his shoulder. "I'll get you for that."

Miori laughed at him, "Fluffy you couldn't 'get' a half dead butterfly with no wings, and you know it! But since you seem so bound and determined to punish me. What did you have in mind?" She smirked at him, daring him to try something, but it was very possible from her small 'eep' of surprise that she was expecting it less then Sesshomaru was himself when he leaned forward and trapped her lips with his own.

Sesshomaru was in a small piece of heaven as he kissed Miori. Her mouth was soft and she melded her lips to his. She reached up and tangled her hands within his long hair, pulling herself closer to her best friend. He used his hand (because he only has one now) to hold her head up closer to his mouth. He ran his tongue along her lower lip asking for entrance which she gave. He explored her mouth eagerly, and she returned the favor, both battling for supremacy, Miori eventually winning. They separated for a breath of air when Miori noticed Sesshomaru's missing arm.

"Holy shit Fluffy. What happened?" Sesshomaru was vaguely annoyed at the sudden interruption and it took a while along with Miori poking at his lack of arm, for him to comprehend what she was talking about.

"Inuyasha cut if off." She pushed him off of her, and examined his missing limb, one eyebrow arched at his statement. It was starting to grow back, thanks to his fast healing abilities, but it would still be at least another five years before it was whole again. She wrapped her hands around the new growth, her look changing quickly to intense concentration. After a moment her hands glowed white, the light quickly becoming so bright Sesshomaru was forced to look away. When his gaze returned his arm was whole.

"What…How…" he stammered and stared at her shocked. She was a healer granted, but she had never been this strong before.

"A lot's changed in the past seventy five years Fluffy." she murmured in his ear as she leaned in for a chaste kiss.

"I noticed." He watched as Miori lazily lay on the ground falling quickly into a light doze. He shook his head. That hadn't changed. She had always slept away most of the day. A good deal of the night too. He had never understood how she slept so much. He examined his arm intensely as he lay on the ground next to his friend. He wondered what other tricks his friend had learned in her absence. He grinned to himself. He would have to find out, and he had an idea that he might enjoy it too.

Inuyasha watched from the tree top he had chosen to sit in, silently cheering. He had known finding Miori would return his brother to the way he was before. In the past ten minutes she had gotten more words from his mouth-and much more than that-than most had in the past year. He grinned excitedly, his smile disappearing when he noticed the sun setting.

_Oh shit! Kagome's gonna "sit" me for sure!_ And he scrambled off to return to his friends, leaving the two demons, currently sleeping on the grass. He couldn't resist one final look as he left and he grinned as he saw Fluffy pull Miori to him so the two were spooning, wrapping his arm around her waist tightly. A moment later he was gone.

Well, it's done! Read it please! And then review!


	3. Strange Behaviors

It's hot out! Too hot to do anything but sit inside and write stories. So I am. So you should all read them. Goats are bad. So are chickens. Chickens scare me. For that matter so do needles, ferris wheels, and the dark. On with the story.

Disclaimer: For what seems like the umpteenth time, I do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter Three: Strange Behaviors

Sesshomaru awoke in the middle of the night to find Miori had somehow managed to drag him into the house in the clearing without waking him up. He was dozing in the bed, his armor removed, and his friend was nowhere to be seen. He considered getting out of the bed to look for her, but decided it was too much effort right now. Instead he returned to bed.

He woke once more to find the sun was just breaking the horizon, and he could smell food cooking nearby. He stumbled out of bed and found Miori outside cooking what he hoped was breakfast. He sat next to his friend on the ground. She nodded at him too occupied watching the sunrise to pay attention to him. He had learned very young to be patient with his friend in this matter. She was always awake for the sunrise, and often returned to bed right after, but she seemed to be planning to stay awake for awhile.

He decided to take the time to study her more closely. She had shed the blue and silver top she had been wearing yesterday, wearing a plain white top similar to it, only without sleeves and slightly shorter that he assumed was worn underneath the other one. Her hair hung straight to her waist and glinted in the sun's first rays. Her eyes looked even darker as she stared at the sunrise. Her legs were stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankle, and she was propped up on her elbows. The sun's weak rays caused her pale skin to glow as if she were some kind of otherworldly being. Sesshomaru found himself rather short of breath at the sight of her.

"You weigh a ton you know." She started conversationally, "I had to drag you in that cabin all by my lonesome and you slept through it all, and I wasn't exactly nice about it either. I tell you what; if some assassin ever caught you sleeping the Western Lands would be fucked." One eyebrow arched slightly, which he had learned meant she was irritated with something, but was amused with something else at the same time. He assumed she was irritated by the fact she had been forced to drag him to bed, but he had no cause for her amusement.

"What's so funny?" he accompanied his jab with a prod to the ribs.

"The thought of you dead." she broke into hysteric giggles at the horrified look on his face, "I didn't mean it like that! Just, if you died, Inuyasha would be Lord of the Western Lands. Can you even imagine the trouble he would cause?" She fell on him laughing, beating his chest as she did so, "All your servants would be running around trying to find him all the time, the castle would be a mess, if it was still standing, he'd probably declare war on the other lords for the fun of it." Sesshomaru's eyebrow twitched in irritation, although Miori found the situation highly amusing. He could very well picture his brother ruling his lands as Miori predicted, and she would know as she had helped raise him.

Miori recovered from her amusement to pull a medium sized bird off a spit where she had been cooking it. She pulled off a leg for herself, then gave the rest to him which he ate happily. She on the contrary, nibbled slowly and daintily on her small piece of food. She had never been a big eater. They finished soon enough, and Miori stretched yawning.

"I talked to Inuyasha and his traveling companions last night. I told them to meet us here."

"Why?" his voice was slightly scathing. However, it did not faze her in the least and she merely shrugged.

"I want to see Inu again, and I'd like to get to know the people he's traveling with better. I spent most of the night watching the camp until they all woke up. I told them who I was, and they said they'd be here about mid morning."

"It'll take them that long?"

"Well…it takes me slightly under and hour. I'm about twice as fast as you and Inu, and he said it took him about two hours to travel back last night running the whole way. They'll be walking most of it, so despite the fact they left the same time I did, it'll take a good long time for them to get here. Wake me in an hour or so, okay?" she stood up brushing dirt of her body.

"Where are you going?"

"To take a nap. I didn't sleep last night, I just told you."

"What about after you healed my arm?"

"I was only out for about an hour, maybe hour and a half. And that nap was more for recovering from healing you then anything. It took a bit out of me." With this she sauntered back into the house for her nap.

Sesshomaru waited for the appointed hour then walked into the cabin himself. He couldn't help but smile at what he saw. Miori was hugging one pillow under her head, and her legs were slightly bent, tangled in the sheets. Her chest rose and fell slowly, and she looked very peaceful. He shook his friend, and she lazily opened her eyes. His heart skipped a beat as she gazed at him sleepily from half open eyes. He had never noticed how dark her long eyelashes were in contrast to her hair. She grumbled for a moment to herself before moving further from the edge of the bed and indicating he should lay down.

"I thought you wanted me to wake you up."

"I am awake."

"You're still lying in my bed."

"Oh Sesshy, you know you've always wanted me in your bed." She threw an evil grim at him, "Besides" she added yawning and stretching, "going outside would require me to move."

He grumbled something about her being lazy, and about how he almost preferred Fluffy to his childhood nickname, but lay next to her on the bed anyways. She ignored his complaints as she wrapped her arms around his neck entangling her fingers in his hair. She buried her head in his chest, and intertwined her legs with his. He would have complained as he normally did, but for her sigh of contentment once she arranged herself comfortably. He simply wrapped both his arms around her waist and nuzzled her hair slightly, inhaling her scent. Kami, it felt good to have her back.

"Sesshy, what do we do now?" her voice shook and he knew she was talking about what had occurred the day before. He was not sure how to answer. He had acted on impulse, but he knew, had always known, that something along those lines would occur. Although there had been other people the had been involved with to put it politely, in his case anyway, none of them had ever held the appeal the other held for them. He knew Miori was thinking along these lines as well. They knew each other well enough to know what the other was thinking.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?" he slid one hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him. Her blue eyes were once again deep in thought, her mouth pulled into the slightest of frowns. It disturbed him to see her upset and he leaned his head down and kissed her softly, in an attempt to make her frown go away. She smiled wryly at this, and he grumbled at her how that was not much better then the frown. This caused a genuine smile to break free on her face.

"Ah Sesshy, you entertain me." She slid her body over his so this time she was the one straddling his hips. She traced the line of his jaw with one slender finger watching his bemused expression. He placed his hands on her slender waist, able to completely surround it with his hands. She chuckled low in her throat and leaned forward burning a trail of kisses up his neck, along his jaw, finally catching his lips for a moment before she crossed her hands and his chest, resting her chin on him.

Absentmindedly he traced his hand up and down along her spine. She grinned devilishly at him and began to rotate her hips against his, gaining a shudder of excitement and surprise almost immediately. This was new behavior for her. In all their closeness, she had never acted like this before. Keeping up the motion with her hips she began to remove his clothing, baring his strong muscled chest first. She explored every muscle, running her hands over his body, tracing his hard abs. He groaned slightly from her torture, beginning to move his hips with hers. He was positive she could feel his hardening member beneath his clothes, and strangely had the feeling she had done this before, and it made him insanely jealous and ready to kill whoever had received this kind of treatment from her. She sensed his emotions and sent him a dazzling smile before catching his lips once more, gently nibbling his bottom lip, and slipping her tongue into his mouth, completely controlling the situation at hand. Sesshomaru's body twitched just enough for her to notice, and he sent out a soft groan of delight. She smirked at him, and ground her hips into his harder, causing him to growl in delight.

Sesshomaru decided he had had enough of her torture and decided it was time to return the treatment. He sat up, forcing her to as well and pulled her closer. He ground his hips against hers wit enough force to cause her to gasp into his mouth as he pulled her into a bruising kiss. Delicately, using only his teeth, he began to pull her top from her shoulders and slowly downwards. He heard her breathing become harsher slightly, and knew his did as well. He buried his head between her breasts, keeping his grip on her waist. He gave himself a moment to consider, then began to nibble on her breasts, one then the other. he continued to use his mouth on her breasts, nibbling, kissing and licking with a practiced skill. From Miori's soft moan she was enjoying his treatment immensely.

She squirmed against him, trying to become more comfortable on his lap. She wrapped her long legs around his waist, and ran her fingers through his hair, trying to consider a way to regain her control. Her thoughts were stopped however by a strong tug on one of her nipples from her partner. Her small whimper of delight caused an evil chuckle to escape his mouth, as he freed her breasts to kiss her gently.

He rolled her over and wrestled with her top for a moment before figuring out how to remove it from her body. Her faint flush caused him to chuckle once more. His hands slid to his own waist, one eyebrow cocked at her as though daring her to stop him when someone began pounding on the door.

"FUCK!" Sesshomaru screamed, causing Miori to jump and grab at him. She could see the vein in his forehead pulsing, and he looked about ready to kill the person on the other side of the door. Thinking quickly she grabbed his top and armor and began to dress him. Her actions inspired him and he grabbed her white top replacing that, and helping her with her silver and blue one as well. She tied the sash herself, and was on her way to answer the door when Sesshomaru grabbed her, giving her one last kiss before smoothing her tousled hair, and then his own.

"It's no matter." She breathed into his ear, "We can always finish later." She tossed him a wink and seductive smile that caused him to growl in frustration. He didn't want to finish later, he wanted to finish now!

"This Sesshomaru is not used to waiting for what he wants." He crossed his arms informing her.

"Well, he's gonna have to learn fast. By the way, might want to do something about this." She answered wryly, giving the rather large bulge in his pants a good squeeze. He could tell however from her tone of voice she was just as annoyed at their interruption. She sighed and opened the door to find Inuyasha. Sesshomaru seriously considered killing him and his damned companions that very moment.

Inuyasha must have noticed the look on his half brothers face, and he backed away from the door, looking between the two.

"We…uh…sorry we're early. Did we interrupt something?"

Sesshomaru was about to say yes and tell him to leave and not come back until the next day, but Miori's glance stopped him.

"No Inuyasha. We were just catching up on old times. Nothing we can't finish later." Her smile and voice reassured his idiot hanyou brother. She pushed him outside to his friends, and Sesshomaru stomped after. The sooner they got rid of these people the better!

Well here is the next chapter! I hope you all like this! I know it seems like Sesshomaru and Miori are just jumping into things, but there is the matter that they've known each other their whole lives.


	4. Painful Memories

Disclaimer: I still have none ownership of Inuyasha.

Chapter Four: Painful Memories

Miori and Sesshomaru had joined Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku on the ground. Sesshomaru had placed himself a good distance from his idiot half brother, and Miori had chosen to sit next to him. Inuyasha was sprawled on the ground opposite Sesshomaru, his head nearly on Kagome's lap, a fact not unnoticed by Miori. Sango was seated on the other side of Kagome, and Kirara was curled up on her lap, with Miroku next to her. Shippo was seated in front of Kagome.

"Well…" Miori started, at a loss for words due to the interruption of her and Sesshomaru's activities moments before.

"Where were you Miori?" Inuyasha decided to jump in, having a very good idea of what he had interrupted.

She smiled and shrugged at him, "All around. I just traveled. No place significant." Sesshomaru's head jerked up at her last sentence, "Liar."

"Prepared to back that claim up, Fluffy?" she arched one elegant eyebrow in his direction, daring him to answer. He smirked slowly at her, enjoying her irritation.

"Your nose twitched. That only happens when you're lying." Miori grumbled to herself, cursing the said appendage in her head. Sesshomaru fought to retain his cool emotionless visage despite the fact he wanted to laugh at his friend. His will prevailed in the end, and he prodded his friend to see where she had been, "So where did you really go?"

She hesitated a moment and Sesshomaru gained the feeling he would not like her answer, "I did visit the northern mountains…"

"What!" Inuyasha jumped up and looked at Miori with shock. Sesshomaru twitched slightly though his inclination was to do the same as Inuyasha.

"Gee, from the way you both are acting, you would almost think it was a bad thing I was there." The sarcasm that dripped from her voice was thick.

"What's in the northern mountains?" the one called Kagome asked.

"It's fox demon territory mainly. That's where I come from." The little kitsune informed them all.

"Miori shrugged and swept her hair back from her face, "I don't know if you've been informed of this, but I'm half fox demon, half dog demon. My mother was a fox demon, and I discovered on my trip there that she also happened to be the youngest daughter of the Lord of the Northern Lands. Ashamed of my mixed blood, my grandfather sold me into slavery. I was only a baby. I was maybe five when Jaken bought me."

"But…Myoga told us you were in slavery ten years." Sango blushed when everyone looked at her.

"That is a common misconception. However, if I know Myoga he also told you I went through fifty different masters in my time as a slave. That is true. Apparently I was a very ill mannered child."

"Not much has changed since then." Sesshomaru couldn't help the jibe as he lay down on the ground. Miori in turn hit him-hard- in the ribs. He scowled but resisted the temptation to rug the sore spot.

"Anyways, I always thought my grandfather killed my mom. Turns out she gave me to him to get rid of. The bitch didn't want me, and had tried to abort me until it became a risk to her health." The bitterness in her voice was palpable, and Sesshomaru pulled himself up to look at her, swearing he caught the glint of tears in her eyes, "Turns out I have a younger sister too, and an older brother. Pure fox though so they got to stay." Sesshomaru reached out and patted her knee once, all the reassurance he wanted to give with these strange people around. She smiled at him, completely understanding his feelings. Inuyasha of course crawled over and gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry Miori."

"It's okay. Which reminds me, Inu. I heard you cut off your brother's arm while I was away." Her voice was entirely casual, but Inuyasha paled nonetheless.

"I…uh…he started it!" Inuyasha summoned quickly.

"Hey, I'm not mad."

Sesshomaru snorted and grumbled, "Thanks for the support." at her back resisting the urge to tickle her. She stuck out her tongue at him, "It's not like I wasn't able to fix it!"

Inuyasha looked confused until his brother waved at him with his restored arm, "Miori, you grew it back! You've gotten a lot better at healing." She shrugged embarrassed, and decided to turn the conversation to the others and what they were doing with each other. Sesshomaru only half paid attention, learning more about the quest for the Shikon jewel, and to destroy Naraku, then he really cared to know. He noted how his brother had found Miori last night however and chuckled.

"What?" Miori cast an irritated glance at her friend, knowing she had something to do with his amusement.

"Only you would travel almost an hour to visit a hotspring."

"Well, you didn't place your houses in very convenient locations. Actually I think I'll go back tonight." She threw him a mischief filled look he understood at once. All the talking had taken most of the day, so his genius brother and his friends would likely be spending the night with them. However if they traveled to the springs they would be alone. The others threw looks at them, apparently baffled by the understanding the two shared.

Miori stretched her arms and yawned, "I'm tired."

Inuyasha shook his head at her, "How are you always so tired? You always used to sleep all night and most of the day too."

She winked at him and laughed, "I have a secret for you. Remember how I always used to know where everything in the castle was, even though I hadn't the day before?" When the two boys nodded at her she leaned forward and whispered, "It's because I don't sleep at night. I was up exploring the castle. The day is the only time I slept."

"But…but what about the night guards? Wouldn't they have stopped you?" Inuyasha questioned the confusion on his face evident.

"Ever wonder how I got so fast?" She winked and laughed at them, "Wake me up for lunch. Thanks." She stood up and sauntered back into the house. On her way back to the cabin she turned around and yelled, "Secret number two: I'm not a slave either!" She laughed and walked into the cabin forcing Sesshomaru to explain what she meant.

_Later that night…_

It had taken about two and a half hours to reach the hot springs. Miori had made Sesshomaru run faster and longer then he would've liked too. He forgot all of this however when they first arrived at the hotspring. Miori walked over to the edge and dangled her feet in the water, her eyes downcast. He folded his legs and sat next to her.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked, his smooth baritone voice showing his concern.

"About what?" she smile falsely at him, her tone overly bright. She swept her hair out of her eyes, and leaned back onto her hands gazing at the stars, "Remember when we were kids, and I used to make you sit up and watch for the first star every night?"

"You always used to make wishes on it. But you would never tell me what, even though I used to sit for hours and try to get you to."

"Back when I would spend the night in your room because we were kids and we could get away with it. Yeah, that's what I meant. Every night I would wish that I would find out what really happened to my mom. I knew my dad was dead courtesy of your dad. I always thought that she was dead too, or if my grandpa had let her live, he had her kept prisoner. I always thought that she couldn't get to me because she wasn't able to, but then I found out she just didn't want me. She was ashamed of me." Her voice broke and he could see the glint of tears she was fighting to hold back. Even as a child she had hated to cry. He didn't know what to say, so he just pulled her to his chest, and rubbed her back soothing her as best he knew how.

Miori buried her head deeper into her best friend's chest, inhaling his distinct musky odor. She was willing to admit she was very happy about being there. More than she should be as they were only friends. She resisted the temptation to snort. This morning's experience had proved that wrong. She had no regrets, that wasn't the problem. But if her mother hadn't wanted her, her fucking mother, what in the hell would someone like Sesshomaru do with her. Not only was he the Lord of the Western Lands, but he was strong and smart, and caring. At least the Sesshy she knew was. What could he want with a mixed blood, a former slave, when he could have anyone?

"Miori?"

"Huh? What?" he broke her from her musings with a light tug on her hair.

"If you want to cry, just this once I promise I won't tell." She couldn't help it. She started giggling. He looked at her as though she were slightly crazy, which only made her laugh harder. "Crazy bitch." He muttered under his breath.

She rolled her eyes at him, and shrugged his arms away. Deciding to bathe which is what she came here to do, she pulled her hair up off her neck. She became distracted by the feel of his hands on her hips once more, pulling her onto his lap, his breath on her neck, "I take it your feeling better." A grin tugged at her lips for a moment as she decided to toy with him.

"I feel as good as I did this morning." She turned into him, pressing her entire body against his, almost purring as she muttered into his ear. He growled at her, no doubt guessing what she was doing. She hid her smile, and flicked the shell of his ear with her tongue, sliding her hands up her chest. His breathing was becoming heavier, and she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and shoulder. His hands encased her waist, and he drew her closer, before she allowed him to catch her lips. She made the kiss deeper, absorbing the very soul of her friend through the kiss. She lovingly and gently explored his mouth, running her tongue over his fangs, trying to impart care, and not lust in her actions. It didn't matter. Fluffy was getting pretty damn horny either way. He moved to pull her closer when she pulled away and stood up.

He glared at her, which disappeared quickly when she pulled off her outer top. She waited until she had his full attention, and turned her back to him, and slowly slid her inner top off, and heard him groan slightly behind her. Laughing in sheer delight she dived into the spring, swimming to the other side. He stood up as well, stretching his long legs, and removed his armor. She turned away, flushed as he removed his haori and he laughed at her.

"Why Miori, you'd think you'd never seen a male without their clothes before."

"Not all of us are whores like you Fluffy." She couldn't contain the eye roll and sarcasm, though she tried very hard.

"You haven't, have you?" His voice was torn between wonder and surprise. Most people were surprised at her innocence. When it came to mischief making, there was little she had not done, but in matters of the flesh, well she lacked much experience.

"Well then, I'll try to make this memorable for you." He whispered into her ear, sliding behind her. She jumped a little, as she had not heard him enter the spring. Truth be told, she would have liked nothing more but…

"What is it? You forget I can read you like a book." He rubbed her shoulders, attempting to ease the tension he could feel there.

"Then you should know what's wrong." She wrapped her arms across her breast, leaning into his hands.

"I can guess. You don't want to get that close."

"I won't tie you to me like that. Not now."

"Because you're scared that I'll discard you like your mother did?"

He had, she thought, found it exactly. She shook her head, "How do you always know what's bothering me, when I have no clue?"

"Comes from spending most of my life with you."

"Yeah, you were the lucky one between us." He prodded her once in the ribs, and then wrapped his arms around her, which did more harm then good really. A sluice of warmth went straight through Miori's body and settled in her loins, and her breathing became harsh. She fought to regain control.

"I suppose I should tell you that's not all then. Sesshy, what happened this morning? Lust, yeah that was there. Nothing beyond that. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret it. But you're my best friend. I wouldn't want to mess that up."

Sesshomaru grabbed her shoulders and turned her around, their lust of the moment before temporarily forgotten, "Miori, listen to me. I know what you mean. I felt that too. I can't say what will happen to us. But I promise that I will never abandon you like your mother did. I will always be here for you no matter what."

She bit back a sarcastic remark, and instead hugging her friend so tight she hoped he could still breathe, hiding her fresh wave of tears against his chest. Of course it didn't fool him, "My offer about not telling anyone if you cry still stands." She stopped fighting then, and cried, sobbing against his strong chest. He soothed her until she decided she had cried enough, and then he helped her onto the bank. She curled up on her top, not caring that she was still naked, and fell asleep, cleansing herself of all the pain her memories had brought that day.

Wow! I'm done! Review on the way out! Please!


	5. Blood Truths and Broken Promises

Disclaimer: Disclaimers suck. I don't own InuYasha.

Chapter Five (a/n wow, five already!): Blood Truths and Broken Promises

Sesshomaru had been content to watch his friend sleep. Granted she was sleeping naked with no blanket covering her, which may have been the cause of his contentment. However after an hour or so he decided enough was enough and dragged himself out of the very pleasant hotspring (in truth he was beginning to see why Miori liked them so much) and did the only logical thing to do in the current situation.

"MIORI GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS! YOU STILL NEED TO TAKE A BATH SO THEN WE CAN DO THE DIRTY DEED AND BATHE AGAIN AND THEN GO BACK TO THE CAMPSITE!" Miori jumped as Sesshomaru screamed as loud as he possibly could in her very sensitive ears. Acting without thinking, and still half asleep, she pushed him back into the spring and began trying to drown him.

"Ergh..Cut…Ack!..Stop…Your Gonna…Kill Me!" he sputtered as she held him under the water with a surprisingly large amount of strength for someone her size. Never mind that she was a demon. He finally succeeded in pulling away and swam to the other side of the spring, staring at Miori with huge frightened gold eyes.

"It serves you right for waking me up like that! See if you get any!" she dressed herself quickly and crossed both arms and legs, glaring at him from the bank, "You have two minutes and then I'm leaving with or without you!"

"I'm sorry." He whined sounding very much like a small child. The effect was ruined by a toad jumping and landing on his head. Miori giggled at the toad when her eyes got huge all of a sudden.

"Fluffy, where's Jaken? You didn't kill him while I was gone, did you?"

"Nooo…Not for lack of trying." Sesshomaru tried to look very innocent, which failed miserably under the furious glare of his friend.

"Sesshomaru. Where is he?" The glare doubled in intensity and Sesshomaru shrank back.

"I don't know where he is right now." He shrank back from the growl that escaped Miori's throat as her eyes began to glow a frightening shade of red. She was really starting to get mad, "I know where I'm supposed to meet him though."

"Where. Is. It."

"About two days from here. Please don't kill me."

Miori's eyes returned to normal and she visibly calmed down having gotten her answer, "I'm going to head back to the camp. We can go get Jaken tomorrow." Her actions decided she jumped into the trees heading towards the camp. Sesshomaru jumped out the spring and followed, dressing as he did so.

"Would you slow down?" he shouted after her disappearing back. She obliged keeping pace with him, instead of forcing him to travel at her speed. Granted it took much longer to reach the campsite that way.

Upon reaching the camp Miori slammed to a stop just inside the clearing. The surrounding area was torn, and it looked like there had been a battle. Inuyasha and the others were strewn around the ground in various shapes of injury. Miori ran to Sango who was the nearest, checking everyone around them.

"They're all alive. Just unconscious."

"Oh goody." He replied sarcastically. He didn't truly care if they were all alive, but he kept that thought to himself at the glare he received from Miori. She prepared to heal the monk, who was the most severely injured when they both caught a strange scent. Sadly, they did not have enough time to act. Five strange dog demons jumped from the trees surrounding them. Miori's eyes returned to their previous shade of red as she prepared to fight but before either of the two could react they were grabbed by two demons each, and tied.

"Get your fucking hands the hell off of me, you piles of hanyou shit!" screamed Miori fighting against her captors while continuing to scream similar obscenities. Sesshomaru fought to break free not noticing the very large tree branch the last demon was aiming at his head. He felt a solid crack, then everything went black.

Miori was lucky enough to not be hit by a tree branch in the head, but not lucky enough to escape her captors. She was thrown into what appeared to be a box. It did not look very strong, but she discovered she was not able to break it. She was kept inside of it for a week, screaming and threatening the whole time. Well, the first four days anyway. After that she was forced to stop due to the fact that she lost her voice from screaming so much.

She finally decided to give up on escaping for the time being, and fell asleep. She could swear she had only been out for five minutes when she was awoken by a guard prodding her in the ribs.

"Lord Roku wants to see you." He informed her, his manner all glaring seriousness.

"Huh?" she tilted her head, looking at him from glazed blue eyes. He gave up and threw her over his shoulder. At this point she was too tired to object and simply back asleep. She was awoken by her guard setting her on her feet in front of a very large old dog demon.

"Whuz you?" she questioned, jabbing in what she hoped was the general direction of the new demon, "Dids yous ajduct neh tuh bez myah fwend?" (Translation: Did you abduct me to be my friend?) She was still very tired, and it affected her speech badly. Luckily the demon laughed and stared at her.

"I really didn't believe it when I heard it. But it's true."

"What?" Miori had woken up and regained her powers of intelligible speech at the demon's deep rumbley voice. It reminded her of thunder. She liked storms. They were so pretty and wild. Yes, she like storms very much. Her random thoughts were interrupted by the demon's voice once more.

"Do you know who I am little one?"

"No. And who you calling little! I'll take you on anyday!" she stood fiercely, as though preparing to battle causing the demon to laugh once more.

"If I had any doubts I do not anymore."

"Would you explain what the fuck you're talking about!" she screamed out her frustration at not being in control of the situation at hand.

"My name is Roku little one. I am Lord of the Southern Lands."

"Yes." She waited patiently for him to explain what he wanted with her. Damned if she was asking.

"You are the half dog half fox demon Miori, are you not?"

"Yes."

"Then you are my granddaughter and the heir to my throne."

"WHAT!"

Five years later Sesshomaru sat in his study. His bitterness over losing Miori again was double of what it was before, only this time it was directed at himself. Despite his bitterness, or perhaps because of it, he and Inuyasha had grown closer then they had ever been. Sesshomaru had even proclaimed Inuyasha his heir if he died without fathering a child. He was in an especially foul mood today as he had to meet with the rulers of the Southern and Eastern territories, Roku and Naruto (Who happens to be Kouga's uncle. Give you three guesses who his heir is), along with their heirs and various under lords to discuss alliances against the Northern Lands. The Northern Lord, Majahal, had recently declared war on the Eastern and Western Territories. Thanks to the fact that the Northern Territory was the most heavily populated (a/n I swear those horny ass fox demons multiply like rabbits) despite being the smallest territory, neither Sesshomaru nor Naruto's armies were faring too well. They were hoping for Roku's aid in the matter, otherwise the war would drag on forever.

"Milord?" Jaken had entered the room meekly, peering around the door cautiously at his irascible master, "Lord Roku is here."

"Thank you Jaken. I'll be down momentarily." Sesshomaru glared out his window, forming a temple with his fingers. He sat there for a moment longer glaring out the window before rising from his seat. He arrived in the hall and was greeted by Lord Roku. The dog demon was old, but still immensely strong. Sesshomaru respected him very, very much.

"Sesshomaru, it's good to see you again! I'd like to introduce my heir, Lady Edana." He turned around and beckoned someone forward. Sesshomaru gasped.

"Mi…Mi…Miori!" it was undoubtedly her, though she had changed immensely in the past five years. Her hair now fell an ungodly length of down to her knees (a/n How do people deal with long hair? Mine gets more than a couple inches past my shoulders and I get it cut.) and she had grown a couple inches. Her figure which had been lovely before, was downright voluptuous at this point, her curves even more nicely filled out. Her face had lost its mischievousness while in its place was a serene air of superiority. Her cheerful smile had been replaced with that of a seductive smirk. She was wearing loose white pants that hung dangerously low on her hips, with what looked like her old blue sash tied around the waist. Her white sleeveless top fit like a second skin with a blue band around the top. Her face was thinner, more sharp and cunning looking. He realized with at start, that she had finally accepted her fox blood, and had grown into her mixed blood heritage. She looked at him consideringly.

"Miori? She doesn't exist anymore Fluffy. Miori died five years ago. Edana took her place." The words were gentle but firm, delivered precisely. SEsshomaru's stomach twisted into knots, but he recovered quickly enough.

"Well then, I'd like to get to know this Edana who got rid of her better. Can I convince her to have supper with me privately tonight?" Miori/Edana laughed at him and stepped forward giving him a hug.

"For an old friend? Gladly."

Miori/Edana sat across the small table from Sesshomaru sighing contentedly after the amazing food that she had devoured moments previously. Her appetite had increased in the past five years, but not by much. He busied himself observing his friend, but they had not spoken yet. Finally she looked at him and prodded, "Well?"

"What?"

"Fluffy, I've know you a very long time. I've changed quite a bit, but you're the same as you always were. This is the time to ask anything." He looked at her startled.

"How did it come about that you became Lord Roku's heir?"

"Remember that demon we thought was my father? It wasn't him, it was my dad's best friend. My dad used to use his name when he was traveling so no one would know who he really was. During those seventy five years I traveled I ran into some of Grandpa's soldiers. He knew my dad. Not only do I look almost exactly like him, I smell somewhat like him. He told Roku, who then tracked me down. Of course he couldn't have explained this to me, he had to abduct me." She rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms upward, relaxing into her chair.

"Your fox blood?"

"I made peace with it. I'm not much at using any kind of fox power though. I can make plants grow if I really put my mind to it. It changed the way I look and personality quite a bit, but I'm sure you saw that." She smirked at him, well aware of the changes in her body. Sesshomaru realized that this girl was entirely different from the one he had known five years ago.

"Is that why you changed your name?"

"No. My dad always wanted a kid. Edan means bravery or something. The feminine form is Edana. If he ever had a kid that was his choice for a name. I figured since he died before ever knowing he did have a kid I should change my name for him." She shrugged looking at her empty plate distractedly.

"So what do I call you?"

"Well, I'm kind of used to Edana at this point. I don't even think of myself as Miori anymore. You can use it if you must, but I might not respond." Her smirk became amused at the sudden reoccurrence of her old name.

"Do you have any questions?" he glanced at her face. She was entirely relaxed, her legs crossed, one arm resting on the chair behind her, the other in her lap. Calm confident perfection.

"I don't think I can ask any questions Inuyasha didn't already answer." They both chuckled at the recollection of Inuyasha tackling Edana to the ground, squealing in delight at her sudden reappearance. He had then proceeded to tell her everything that had happened to him in the past five years, "I don't believe you made him your heir. Him me and Kouga. We should start a club." She noticed the look Sesshomaru was giving her. She had always considered Inuyasha a younger brother, and had treated him as a child, never her equal. He hadn't even known that she knew Kouga.

"You've changed Mi-Edana."

"I have," She glanced at him, and he realized with a start that he could no longer read her body language, could not tell what she was thinking without even looking her way, "and I get the feeling you don't like it. I told you earlier Sesshomaru, Miori died five years ago, the second she found out the truth about her birth. That lusty friendship we had? That died with her. I'm the heir to the Southern Kingdom now. You rule the Western lands. There can be only alliances, no friendships between us. And that promise you made, to never throw me away like my mother did? Forget it. I don't need your lies. Thank you for supper, I need to go now." With that she retreated from the room, effectively giving herself the last word.

Sesshomaru stared after her, wondering what the hell could have changed her so much.

Wow, I suddenly got reviews! Thanks I feel loved!

HahaI'mBetterThanYou: I'm glad you liked it! I'm kind of scared if you're like Miori…

Christian: I will continue writing. Please keep reviewing!

Tuatha de Danaan: Thanks to both you and your friend for reading! I'm sure you're not copying, and I don't particularly care if you are. I'll put in a warning for the naughty stuff from now on!

Elizabeth Hemingway: Truly it's not that I don't enjoy writing this, I just find it discouraging when no one reads it. School assignments suck, I generally half ass those too. As for the disparaging of my own writing: I'm something of a perfectionist and I believe there's always room for improvement. So I'm always trying to be better in everything I do and it causes me to be highly critical of my work and everything I've achieved. Thank you for your review and wonderful advice!


	6. The Real Reason

There will be some dirty stuff in this chapter so if you don't like that don't read. I also revised it after a rather negative response to the original version.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha. Please don't sue me.

Chapter Six: The Real Reason

Edana brushed a stray strand of her overly long hair out of her face as she entered her room in the Southern Kingdom castle. She took in everything, noting her room had been cleaned in her week long absence, and a certain halberd was missing from the corner. She arched an eyebrow at the said corner before limping over to her pile of sleeping furs in the opposite corner. She glanced around the room she occupied. There were two piles of sleeping furs, in two opposite corners, the second shared by the missing halberd. Next to the door was a closet with her clothes. There was a large mirror on the right side wall, next to a desk she did paperwork on. Off to the left side was a small table and a door leading into her private bathroom, complete with her own hotspring.

She grimaced as she considered walking to the bathroom. Her grandfather had not been happy she was accompanying him to the Western Lands in the first place, less happy she had accepted the dinner with Sesshomaru, and furious she had pushed him away. He thought she should at least make herself useful and seduce him to their side or something along those lines. These three angers had combined, and her grandfather was a very unpleasant demon to be around when he was angry. She believed she now suffered no less then three cracked ribs, and had badly twisted her knee when he had thrown her against the wall. As per normal his careful beating left no outer mark. The only bruises were hidden under her clothing, except for one marring the pale skin of her right shoulder. She lay down on her furs laying on her right side, the one without any broken ribs. It did not take her long to fall asleep.

Bankotsu entered Miori's room, noting with faint surprise that she was home. After Naraku's defeat he was the only one of the Band of Seven to survive. He had hidden, only killing on occasion, until one day about four years ago he had stumbled upon Miori in the woods. He had threatened her, but she only laughed at him, inviting him to take a bath with her. She had stripped and slid into the hotspring he had found her at, and he joined her moments later. His eyebrow twitched faintly of the memory of what had occurred between him and Miori that day. Fox demons were very passionate and sensual creatures, a nature Miori had inherited (and what appeared to be the only thing aside from her looks) in full. Afterwards he had come to live with her, against her grandfather's will. She had taken many beatings on his account but had not backed down. It was the only thing she had ever stood up to him fully on.

It was not that Bankotsu had wanted Miori to be beaten. When he first discovered her grandfather was abusing her on his account, he had tried to leave. Miori had basically sat on him until he agreed to stay. Before he agreed to it, he had asked her for one reason he should stay. When asked why she did this she simply shrugged and said, "It's good to have a friend in this place." Something about her eyes right then had convinced him to stay. He knew Miori could handle herself, but there was something hidden deep in the shadows of her eyes that had caused his heart to ache for the young demoness. Now the two were occasional lovers, but more importantly to them, were incredibly close friends.

"Nice to see you again." Bankotsu looked at Miori sitting on her furs, holding her left side. It was then he saw the bruise adorning her shoulder.

"Shit Miori. Not again. You've just barely recovered from the last time!" He rushed towards her, examining her shoulder.

"Edana." She muttered at him grimacing slightly. He just snorted in disdain.

"You were Miori when I first met you four years ago. Just because that bastard forced you to change your name and appearance, doesn't mean I'm going to start calling you that." He tugged her hand from her side and as gently as he could, examined her side. He winced in sympathy as Miori tried and failed to suppress a small cry of pain as he discovered not three, but five broken ribs, all in one spot. Muttering obscenities at Roku under his breath he tugged at Miori's pants, a signal for her to take them off so he could further examine her. He had learned this was the only real way to discover the full extent of her injuries. Otherwise she just pretended to be in no pain whatsoever. Stubborn bitch.

Despite being accustomed to seeing Miori in various states of injury he was unable to contain the string of curses upon seeing her badly swollen knee, as well as the bruises marring her otherwise flawless legs and hips. Growling he pulled off her top as well, careful not to further injure her ribs to find more bruises. There were also long claw marks along her back.

"Bastard."

"He doesn't mean to."

"Bullshit he doesn't mean to!" Bankotsu jumped up and screamed, losing his temper for possibly the first time ever with the demoness. "You can't cause this kind of damage accidentally! What the hell did you ever do to him?" Overcome by a sudden wave of despair he sat on the bed next to Miori, and by instinct she pulled his head to her chest, murmuring soothing words and slowly rubbing his back with one hand in an attempt to calm him down.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and Guzo, a snake demon from beyond the territories and currently enslaved by Roku, entered the room carrying clean cloths, hot water, bandages, medicinal herbs, and everything else needed to care for Miori. He had seen her limp in that morning and gotten the supplies ready when he saw Bankotsu return. Guzo, as well as everyone else in the castle knew he was the only one Miori would let care for her injuries properly.

"Thank you Guzo." Miori smiled slowly and sadly at the demon, trying to hide as much of her naked body behind Bankotsu as possible, "You may leave us now." Guzo bowed to his young mistress and exited closing the door behind him. Bankotsu grabbed the supplies and began to work on Miori's injuries. Soaking a cloth in the water he began to clean the wounds on her back. Despite the fact he was as gentle as he knew how to be Miori was hard put not to scream. The damn water burned! She relaxed as he sprinkled herbs on the wounds, and then wrapped them and her broken ribs in some of the bandages. After this he put some more clothes in the water and laid them on Miori's knee in an attempt to reduce the swelling. Cold water, or preferably ice would have been better, but there was barely any of this in the warmer southern territory. He waited for a moment before pulling off the cloth and wrapping her knee tightly in more bandages. He sighed looking at the bruises still adorning her body. He could do nothing about those, and they'd discovered that Miori could not heal herself.

Miori wrapped a blanket over her naked body, too lazy to dress herself and laid back on the bed indicating Bankotsu should join her. He lay next to her, pulling her deep into his embrace, one hand holding her to him, the other idly playing with her hair.

"So what happened?"

"I went to the Western Territory?"

"I know that. And Roku insists on keeping you locked up like a prisoner for reasons unknown to any sane person. But he got you for that before you left. You still went. It must have been something else."

She squirmed guiltily in his embrace for a moment, avoiding his gaze then muttered so softly he could barely hear "Fluffy asked me to eat dinner with him."

"And…?"

"I accepted. I really wanted to see him." Bankotsu waited knowing there was more. "And then…I told him I didn't need him anymore. That any friendship we had ever had was gone. And I just walked away." She was crying into his chest at this point. "Grampa was really mad. He said if I insisted on talking to Fluffy I should convince him to work for him or something. But I can't do that to him, and he wouldn't listen to anyone else anyway, and I don't want Grampa to hurt Fluffy like he does me and the only thing I could think of was to cut off any ties with him." She was almost speaking too fast for him to understand her, and was sobbing into his chest at this point. He rubbed her back soothing her.

Bankotsu sat with Miori until she had cried herself out, and fell asleep on his chest. He hated to admit it, but he had a soft spot for the girl. A smile from her could brighten his day, when she was sad his heart ached for her, and he cared for her with a tenderness he had never shown anyone else. It was lucky that they had no feelings towards each other besides a deep friendship and a little lust. Otherwise he might have felt obligated to kill Sesshomaru out of sheer jealousy and he was not sure that was a fight he would win. With that thought in mind he rolled over, letting go of Miori, and fell asleep.

It was a few hours later when Miori awoke to find herself alone in her bed, most of her bruises gone, her back and knee almost totally healed, and the pain in her ribs greatly diminished. She reached an arm around the bed expecting Bankotsu to be laying nearby only to find the sheets empty and cold. Without opening her eyes she sniffed the surrounding air and smelled him in the direction of her bathroom. She pulled all the sheets tighter around her naked body and considered for the briefest moment going back to bed but as she moved her sore body quite rationally told her that a hot bath would be greatly appreciated right now. Groaning good naturedly she rolled out of bed only to land on her knees next to it. Wincing she dragged herself up and began to walk in the direction of the bathroom more asleep then awake and her eyes barely open. She had forgotten that Bankotsu was in the bathroom was slightly nonplussed to find her friend entirely naked washing himself off with a cloth in the bathroom.

"Kotsu? What are you doing in here?" She tilted her head to the side and watched him out of half opened eyes. It was then she noticed his nakedness and it struck something deep inside the girl. Her eyes narrowed to slits that were glowing just the slightest hint of red and her breath caught and quickened in her chest. Bankotsu saw it and smirked, dropping the cloth and walking over to his friend. Without speaking he drew her close to his body and kissed her.

Miori shuddered in desire and dropped the blankets she had been holding, using one hand to pull Bankotsu's head further down, and the other lazily tracing his spine with her claws. It had been a long time since they had made love, and part of Miori began to scream and cheer as Bankotsu reached down and lifted her into the air wrapping his arms under her ass as her slender legs came up to encircle his waist. Pulling away for air, Bankotsu carried Miori to her bed and laid her down, stopping for a moment to admire her. Her long silver hair tumbled around her, her cheeks were flushed, her chest rising and falling with every breath she took, and her lips ruby red from his kisses. He straddled Miori's waist, placing his hands next to her head. She grinned mischievously up at him and rolled her body upwards, grinding her hips against his. He groaned in defeat and rolled onto the bed pulling her over him. She sat next to him leaning her upper body over his chest and kissed him deeply.

"I won't be able to do much to help out. I'm still injured and helpless remember." She leaned forward to whisper in his ear once she broke the kiss. He looked at her in shock for a moment and she giggled laying next to him, entangling one leg with his. She ran one hand down his chest and over his ass down to his leg then up again causing the man to shudder in delight. Deciding he couldn't let her have all the fun he bent over her breast to kiss and nibble at her nipples, first the right then the left. Miori let out a soft moan in response and arched her body upwards at him. Smirking he began to move his kisses lower, making sure he covered every inch of her flat stomach. She squirmed, sighing contentedly under his ministrations.

Finally he reached that area between her thighs. He buried his face in her and inhaled the odor of her arousal. Miori lazily lifted one leg over his shoulder, allowing him better access to that one spot that could make her come almost immediately. He smirked at her, knowing that he would enjoy the experience to come.

Sesshomaru dug through the piles of stuff on his desk looking for something, _anything,_ that he could sign the paper in front of him with. He was not having much luck, and it was shortening his already frayed temper. He was almost ready to tear the desk apart when he heard low laughter from the doorway of his study. He looked up glaring, only to find Inuyasha in the doorway. His half-brother walked over to him, and somehow managed to find a writing utensil on his desk, and handed it to the irritable taiyoukai. Sesshomaru commenced to signing the accursed piece of parchment, when he was interrupted by Inuyasha's voice.

"She smelled different." Sesshomaru glanced up, knowing what Inuyasha was talking about, but not wanting to discuss it. Miori, or Edana, had not been seen the day after her supper with Sesshomaru and had left late the next night. Sighing at the stare he was receiving from his hanyou brother he chose to respond.

"I didn't notice."

"I did. She doesn't smell like the rain and roses anymore. She smelled like ashes and tears and blood. I don't understand how you didn't notice."

"Maybe I didn't care."

"You and I both know that's a lie. I wonder why she left. It was weird that she was here for so short a time, and that she didn't even say goodbye."

"Roku said she was sick and had to go home."

Sesshomaru glanced up when Inuyasha didn't respond. The hanyou was staring off into the distance a frown gracing his features. He almost celebrated his brother's silence, but he noted the disturbed look in his brother's eyes. Growling inwardly he threw the pen at Inuyasha.

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha picked up the pen and threw it back at his brother, thinking for a moment.

"I don't like Roku. He's a strong demon, and I respect that. He seems unwontedly cruel though. Have you heard the stories about how he mistreats all his servants, and anyone in his territory?"

"I have. I have never seen any proof of them though."

"I was just thinking…do you think he's mistreating Miori?" Sesshomaru jumped at the possibility, staring shocked at his brother. Not only had he actually thought on his own, what he said could be true.

"What would make you say that?"

"What else could cause such a huge change in her? Surely finding out she's the Southern heir wouldn't do it."

"You may be right."

Miori lay on her back, watching the patterns of the shadows of leaves on her ceiling. Bankotsu lay beside her, sleeping soundly. Thank Kami for that. After the exertions they had just gone through she should be sleeping as well, but chose not to. Miori's passionate nature was much more difficult to sate, and talented lover that Kotsu was, he was only human. He didn't have the stamina to keep up with her. Instead she lay thinking. Somehow, it felt wrong to her to be making love to Kotsu while her heart was longing for Fluffy. However she shrugged and sighed. There was nothing she could do about it. Damn life sucked sometimes.


	7. Chapter 7

Wow…having too much time on your hands does amazing things or your inspiration. Please don't hate this chapter. I like conflict and this is a good source. It'll be short though.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter Seven:

Miori was in trouble. She knew she was in trouble. It had been a month since she had left Fluffy's, two weeks since she had put the signs together. A demon pregnancy normally only lasted a few months, but this child would be half human. The pregnancy would still be short, four, five months at the most. However she suspected she was already a good month or two along, meaning that even if she wished it, she couldn't kill it. She shouldn't get too large. Inuyoukai babies were small, although of course this one was half human so it might be bigger.

Miori had no problems with any of this. She was a very rational demon, and knew it was her and Kotsu's fault for not being careful anyway. No, her fear was for herself and her child at the hands of her grandfather. As badly as she had been abused lately, she was amazed that the baby had survived this long.

She felt betrayed by her body. It was Fluffy she had always wanted, and now she was carrying another man's child. It wasn't fair! She knew she couldn't be with Fluffy, because of their positions. She would one lady rule the Southern Territory. She couldn't marry the Lord of the West. She was still angry. Irrational, but true.

She couldn't let her grandfather know. She wasn't stupid. Health risks or no he'd make sure that baby disappeared. At that moment Kotsu strode in, smelling of blood and looking obscenely smug. She rounded on him.

"This is all your fault!"

"Wha-?"

"If you didn't think with your dick we wouldn't be in this predicament!"

"Miori I don't kn-"

"Don't start that with me! Kotsu," within an instant she had fell into his embrace sobbing, "I don't want to die."

"You won't die Miori. Now what's wrong?"

It was the wrong question. She began to rage at him all over again. All of a sudden jumping him and pushing him to the bed, crushing his lips beneath hers. Finally she was having some kind of emotional reaction he could understand. He kissed her back, proceeding to remove all of his and her clothes without offending her yet again. He was nuzzling the smooth skin at her neck when he caught the faintest glimpse of her stomach. Small child or no, Miori's stomach had the faintest hint of roundness to it that could not come about from laziness or overeating because she didn't eat much and she was highly active.

"Miori, what's this?" His hands touched the soft skin of her stomach rubbing the soft round, in fear and wonder.

"Kotsu…I'm pregnant."

"We're all going to die aren't we Miori."

"Yes Kotsu, it's very likely the old bastard will kill us all."

And as absurd as the situation was, neither of them was laughing.


End file.
